


The Guardian Angel

by PhantomDragon



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Blood, F/M, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires, Violence, gadreel - Freeform, gadreel x reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 07:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5447684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomDragon/pseuds/PhantomDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reader makes a mistake that could get her killed, if not for the strange man who comes to her rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rescuer

You’d always felt humiliated whenever you made a mistake, no matter how big or small that mistake happened to be. Well, this was a doozy and you were pretty sure you weren’t going to live long enough to feel that way again. You had your back to the wall, quite literally, staring at five sets of fangs snarling back at you while the storms clouds overhead decided now was the time to release a downpour upon the earth. 

Two hours ago, letting that kid vamp go free on a promise of staying clean had seemed right. Little did you know you’d signed your death warrant. Baby fang had scuttled back to his nest and led the hunting party right to you. They’d cornered you on the way part to your hotel and had chased you into an alley, and now with the sky drenching everything down below, the cold stone against your back reminded you how much of a dead-end it was.

Your eyes fixed on the rat himself, skulking behind big brother. “That’s the thanks I get for letting you live, huh?” you scoffed, backing up your voice with as much steel as you could muster to disguise how terrified you were. You’d be damned if you were going out as anything less than a hunter.

Baby vamp only bared his fangs and didn’t reply. Typical. 

Your breath hitched as the big guy in front took a menacing step forward, swinging your machete loosely in one hand. There it was. One of the group had knocked it out of your hand a couple streets back and you were hoping you could get by them somehow to retrieve it, but fate had decided to crush your chance of survival.

“You killed two of ours. A brother. A sister,” he snarled, pointing the machete at you.

“And how many of mine have you killed?” you snap back as lightning flashed overhead.

The vampire shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. We just want to survive and your kind can’t leave us be.”

You pushed yourself off the wall, the anger rising in your chest giving you courage. “Just want to survive? Tell that to the family _your kind_ just slaughtered.”

Lead vampire laughs outright, the rough sound sending a chill up your spine. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that much.” He paused and his smile turned suddenly from amused to cold in a heartbeat. “But guts won’t save you.”

“I will.”

Six sets of eyes whipped to the newcomer who stood at the entrance to the alley, his body a silhouette in the near darkness. The leader moved first, darting forward when you were caught off guard, grabbing you and placing the cold steel of your machete against your throat before you could blink.

The man had spoken softly, yet his voice sailed through the air as clearly as if the heavens weren’t writhing with thunder and rain. He paused when lighting flashed and exposed the vampire’s fangs. “What manner of creature are you?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” lead vamp growled. This was turning into more trouble than it was worth and he was getting uneasy. He’d never smelled anything like the man before, neither human, nor vampire, or in fact any scent he’d caught before.

With the vampire’s arm tightly around you, you couldn’t move so you did the only thing you could. Try to warn him and pray he’d hightail it out of here. “They’re vampires, just run!” you yelled. _Get the hell out of here before someone else dies because of me…_

The man stepped forward, seemingly unafraid, his head cocked in curiosity. “No mistake of yours could have warranted this." His voice was calm and direct, speaking just to you as though these monsters weren’t even there. 

Your eyes widened. He was reading your thoughts. "What are you?” you whispered.

The man opened his mouth to answer, but the vampire holding you had heard enough. “No more talk! Get ‘im, boys!” he ordered.

The four other vampires moved as one, two heading right, two left, not stopping until they surrounded the man. He glanced around slowly, not yet moving to defend himself. “Let her go and I will not harm you.”

The tallest of the four cackled, extending his arms around him. “Look around, boy-o. You’re outnumbered.” 

The man lifted his shoulders in a tiny shrug. “I gave you a chance,” he said simply. 

Now he moved. Taking two rapid steps forward, he placed a hand against the tallest one’s head and immediately a scream cut through the air, white-blue light emanating where his eyes and mouth should have been. The smoking body hit to the concrete with a sickening thud seconds later.

You could only watch helplessly as the other three vamps threw caution to the wind and charged, one latching onto his arm while another connected a savage right hook to the man’s jaw. He recovered quickly and threw a powerful punch of his own, shoving the vampire away long enough to slam his palm onto the one holding his arm, burning him out like the first. Now free, he stood at the ready, his eyes constantly darting between the remaining three and you. 

There was just the kid, the one picking himself off the ground, and the leader left, the latter of which was starting to panic. You could feel his grip on the machete shake against your throat as he watched the man take out yet another with a touch of his hand. 

Baby vamp stared in horror at the three still smoking bodies on the ground, blinking rain out of his eyes. 

The man stepped forward and the kid fell back, his fangs retracting as fear took over his features. “Just let me go. I won’t touch another person, I swear!” he gasped.

_That’s what you said before you murdered that family._

The man’s eyes shot back to you and you knew he heard. “That’s what you promised before and yet, here you are.” He frowned down at the kid. “I am sorry.” 

“No, no!” the kid cried, but it was too late. The man’s hand connected with his forehead and extinguished his life in a burst of light. He stood slowly, turning to the one remaining, the leader whose hands were shaking so hard the blade nicked your throat.

The rain mixed with your blood, making you shiver at the combination running down your collar, though you didn’t dare move more for fear the leader would slice your throat and be done with it. 

The man walked forward slowly, stopping a few feet away from the two of you. “You’ve lost. Let her go,” he said softly.

The leader only tightened his grip around you, his arm pressing heavily across your chest. “She’s the only thing stopping you from killing me,” he snarled.

“Then we are at a stalemate,” the man admitted. “But I have the advantage.”

The leader scoffed, a hysterical laugh leaving his lips. “What advantage, freak?!”

A tiny smirk came across the man’s lips, amused by the choice of words. “I don’t have to touch you.” With that, he lifted his arm and spread his fingers, his palm glowing blue with energy. 

You felt the vampire’s grip around you loosen and took your chance, shoving the machete away from your throat and dropped, hitting the deck so hard the skin of your chin split against the ground. As soon as you were clear, the man focused the energy and the leader’s scream filled the air above you, his eyes burning with that white-blue light. 

The whole thing was over in minutes, leaving you and the man alone with nothing but the sounds of the storm and five bodies decorating the alley.

You got to your knees slowly, swiping at the blood dripping from your chin, all the while keeping your eyes on the man.

“I’m not a man, you know,” he broke the silence, crouching down to your level.

“Then what are you?” 

Lightning flashed brilliantly, letting you see his face clearly for the first time. He was handsome with a strong jaw, a peaceful expression, and light green eyes peering patiently into yours. “I’m an angel.”

“An… An angel,” you murmured almost to yourself. You’d never seen one, never quite knowing if you believed the lore or not, but it made sense given those powers. 

Now that the danger seemed to have passed, shock began to set in and you slouched against the wall, shivering and a little dizzy.

“You’re hurt,” the angel said, seeing the bloody water dripping off your chin. He came closer and raised two fingers, pausing when you put up your arm warily. “It’s all right. I can heal you.”

You hesitated, then nodded permission, figuring if he was going to hurt you, he’d have done it already. 

His skin felt warm as he touched your forehead, that same warmth spreading throughout your body to retreat back to his hand, leaving the newly healed skin tingling.

You reached up and felt your neck and chin. “That is amazing,” you whispered, feeling your cuts completely gone. You frowned suddenly. “How’d you even find me?”

The angel found himself smiling again and stood, extending his hand to you. “When you cried out in your mind, it was as loud as a prayer. Come, let’s get you out of this storm.”

You let him pull you to your feet and keep his hand on your arm until he was sure you could walk on your own. “So, you got a name, angel?” you asked, looking up at him, noticing how the rain pushing his short hair into little spikes on his forehead.

He glanced down at you, a little smile still playing across his lips. 

“My name is Gadreel.”


	2. The Watchman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader makes a mistake that could get her killed, if not for the strange man who comes to her rescue and into her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve decided not do individual summaries, because quite frankly, I suck horribly at them.   
> Also, this started out a one shot and turned into a series so they’ll probably be slow getting out while I figure out just where this is going.

Gadreel led the way through the downpour, seeming to know exactly where he was going though you never told him where you were staying. He’d probably read your mind, you realized. Wrapping your thin jacket tighter, you tried to keep close behind him, splashing through puddles you were too tired to avoid.

The angel was on high alert, checking each corner before stepping into the next street, his hand never leaving the hilt of his silver blade. Your gaze moved from his broad shoulders to the hem of his leather jacket to the heels of his boots as each step got slower, the toes of your own boots dragging the ground with each   
step.

His long paces slowed when he realized you were falling behind until he stopped so silently you bumped into him three paces later with a grunt. You found yourself staring into pale green eyes as he turned to face you.

“Are you hurt elsewhere?” he asked, lightly grasping your arm.

You shook your head. “Just tired. C'mon, it’s only a couple of blocks now,” you said, waiting for him to let go of your arm, but instead Gadreel stepped closer and slung it across his broad shoulders before you could protest.

“Come, we’ll go faster this way.” His tone left no room for argument so you did as you were told, putting one foot in front of the other while the angel led you through the night.

As you blinked water out of your eyes for the umpteenth time, it occurred to you that the angel never even asked you name. “I’m Y/n, by the way,” you squinted up at him, getting another glimpse of that chiseled jawline with when lightning flashed again.

Gadreel glanced down at you, a small smile appearing across one side of his mouth. “It is nice to meet you, Y/n.”

You swore his arm around your waist felt just a little tighter than it had been a minute ago.

~~~ 

Ten minutes later found you standing under the harsh florescent glow of the motel’s sign while you fumbled with frozen fingers for the key to your room. For his part, Gadreel didn’t say a thing, simply waited patiently until you worked the cold metal out of your wet jeans and unlocked the door, only fully letting go of you once the two of you crossed the threshold.

You flipped the light on immediately, grateful your hunting partner had left the thermostat up. It felt like walking into a kitchen while the oven was on, though exchanging the smell of food for must and mold. But it wasn’t bad. The two beds were actually decent and the deep tan wallpaper was a welcome change from the ugly flower design that more often than not decorated the walls. 

Pulling your soaked coat off, you draped it across the back of a chair to dry and glanced at the angel while rubbing your hands together in an attempt to warm them.

“My friend has some clothes that would fit you if you want to change,” you offered, motioning to Gadreel’s own soaked clothing. 

Gadreel glanced down and rubbed a palm over his jacket as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him. Maybe it hadn’t. Did angels even get cold?

“Not normally, unless we are injured,” Gadreel said, answering your unspoken question. “Though we can still feel, and this,” he paused, frowning down at his attire. “This feels less than pleasant. I will accept your kind offer.”

You paused with your hand on your friend’s suitcase and quirked a brow at Gadreel. “Can you read minds all the time?”

A curious look swept over his features. “You did not speak?” At your negatory shake of the head, he gave his own head a shake. “I’m sorry, it’s not usually like this. With you it seems I have hardly to concentrate at all to hear your thoughts.”

“Huh.” Trying unsuccessfully to hide a yawn, you rummaged around in the suitcase for a minute before pulling out a fresh set of clothes. “Here you go.”  
The angel stepped forward to receive them from you. “I will make an effort from now on,” he promised, capturing your gaze with his pale eyes. 

You nodded and tried to ignore how warm his fingers felt as they grazed yours. “Well, you do that. I am going to take a shower and hit the hay,” and with that you spun neatly on your heel and disappeared into the bathroom with an armful of your own clothes, leaving the angel puzzling over exactly what hay you were planning on hitting.

~~~

By the time you finished your shower almost an hour had passed. The water had been hot for once and you couldn’t resist the warmth soothing the aches and pains of the hunt. Now dressed in a tank top and fitting sweat pants hung loosely across your hips, you left the bathroom to see that Gadreel had turned all but the bedside lamp off, leaving just enough light for you to see him sitting hunched in the chair, eyes closed and hands clasped in his lap. Did angels sleep? You racked your brain for what information you had on them and didn’t remember seeing anything about them sleeping. 

Making a mental note to do serious research on them when you had time, you walked barefoot across the carpet and lay a hand on his shoulder. “Gadreel?”

From the way Gadreel shot upright one would have thought your touch had electrified him. You jerked your hand away and took a step back, eyes wide. 

“I’m… I’m sorry, I did not hear you come out,” Gadreel apologized, his gaze meeting yours for only a second before dancing away.

“It’s alright,” you murmured. If you didn’t know any better you’d have said that was fear in the angel’s eyes. “Just checking if you were okay.”

“I am,” he answered after a moment’s hesitation. “Thank you.” 

The few months Gadreel had been free had taught him that humans often hid their feelings and he had adopted that practice. Especially after Metatron, it was easier to keep his viper’s nest of feelings tightly locked away from the few humans he interacted with.

You had a feeling he was being less than truthful, but you let it go. “Okay then. I’m beat, I’m going to bed. The other one is open if you want to sleep or rest or whatever angels do. It’ll be more comfortable than that creaky chair,” you offered as you climbed beneath the comforter.   
“Your friend isn’t returning?” Gadreel asked curiously.

“Oh, no. He’s, uh… gonna be busy tonight. If you know what I mean,” you added hastily, unsure if angels knew of such things.

Gadreel let out a soft laugh, though more a heavier exhalation than a true laugh. “I see your meaning. And no, like with cold, we don’t need sleep unless we’re gravely injured,” the angel answered, standing from his chair in one smooth motion. “But rest is welcomed, thank you.”

He traversed the space to the other bed, the light catching his bare arms enough to let you see that they were lean and toned when they weren’t covered with all those layers of clothing. What was it with you and guys with no less than three layers of shirts? 

You closed your eyes and bit your lip hard suddenly to stop your thoughts in their tracks. You blamed it on almost being killed twice, soaked to the bone, and more exhausted than you’d been in a while, but your thoughts were running wild. You realized you’d lost track of how many times this angel had thanked you and you hadn’t even thanked him for saving your life yet.

Gadreel leaned over to flip the light off when he saw you’d closed your eyes and crossed his arms comfortably over his chest while he listened to the rain patter against the window.

“Gadreel?” your voice cut through the air a minute later.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re welcome, Y/n,” he answered, his voice a soft rumble through the dark.

~~~

Your rest was fitful that night, waking many times to thunder so loud it sounded like a cannon in your ears. Each time you did so, you found your eyes drawn to the silhouette of Gadreel. 

He moved often throughout the night, sometimes sitting sideways on the bed with his head in his hands, other times he stood before the window where lightning would encompass his body with white light before fading away to a shadow once more, while most of the time he sat in the chair across from you. 

He seemed the most peaceful when he could see your shoulders rise and fall with your breath. 

But he never went where he couldn’t keep you in his line of sight. Even if it was just tonight, you found it comforting to have someone watching over you in the night. 

Your own guardian angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Available with the reader insert box on my tumblr: [ here.](http://ohfora67impala.tumblr.com/post/136786237496/the-watchman)


	3. The Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the rescue, reader’s hunting partner returns and things don’t go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed my mind and am going to try to go with chapter summaries. Fair warning; they won't be that great.  
> Also, important, that this is still very much a work in progress so update speed will vary.

Morning came with sunshine and the promise of a wonderful day. Though little did you or Gadreel know there were storm clouds lurking just beyond the horizon.

The angel was watching the sunrise when he heard you stir, mumbling softly in your slumber. He turned from the window to go back to his bed, his now boot clad feet making no sound on the carpet.

Something about you put him at ease. Maybe it was the way you didn’t shy away from when you heard his name like so many others. In his wanderings, he found that his reputation preceded him with humans and angels alike. 

Most of the time he didn’t even need to give a name for them to recognize him and more often than not, the angels tried to shove a blade in his chest while the hunters without a means to kill him ran.

But no matter where he went, one word followed him like night after day. 

_Traitor._

To the angels, he was a traitor for his role in helping Metatron. 

To the hunters, he was a traitor for what he’d done to the renowned Winchesters. And that wasn’t even counting what most of creation thought of him for allowing Lucifer to deceive him in the Garden. 

A heavy sigh escaped Gadreel’s lips. 

Whenever he allowed his mind to stray to these things, a crushing weight fell upon his chest. He feared he would never do enough to make up for what he’d done, to lessen the guilt clutching his heart. 

He just wondered if you would react the same as those hunters whenever you discovered the truth about him.

The sound of you shifting around snapped him out of his dark reverie, and he turned, managing to shift his features into a more neutral expression just as you opened your eyes to morning’s light.

You stretched lazily before glancing at the angel, your gaze lingering for a second on his exposed forearms. He’d left his jacket off and shoved the sleeves of his unzipped sweatshirt halfway up his arm. 

“Morning.”

His pale green eyes flicked up from his clasped hands to you. “Good morning.”

You let out a wide yawn and stretched once more before tossing the covers off of you and heading for the bathroom. When you came out ten minutes later, having changed and washed up, he was sitting in the same position, lost in thought as he gazed intently at his hands.

You sat back down on the bed and grabbed your phone off the side table. 

No texts or calls overnight. 

You dropped it beside you and turned to the handsome angel. “So…”

Gadreel looked at you expectantly and you bit your lip, unsure where to begin. 

In the course of 12 hours you’d found that angels were real and with a real live one sitting before you, seemingly content to stick around, you had no idea if he had a home base or in fact, what angels even did. 

“So, uh, what do you,” you waved your hand at him, “angels do? Do you have a place to stay?”

He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by four hard raps at the door. You both froze, your hand going to the gun in your belt while Gadreel’s went for his blade. Four more taps followed then silence. You relaxed, letting go of the gun. “It’s alright, that’s my friend, Dean.”

Well, friends was loose. You didn’t really have that much contact unless he was in your neck of the woods and even then it was just a hunt or two then he was off for another six months. Though recently he’d been heading out your way more often, but something was different about him. He seemed more angry, more impatient. 

One time after a hard hunt when you were both deep in shots and couple beers, you tried asking him about it. 

His reply: _trusted the wrong guy and it got people killed._

You hadn’t brought it up since.

Back in the present, you stood and headed for the door, oblivious to Gadreel’s suddenly pale face.

“Dean Winchester?” he stammered.

“Yeah, how’d you know?” you asked over your shoulder before opening the door to reveal the eldest Winchester. 

His tee was rumpled, his flannel held loosely in one hand, and his hair sticking up six ways to Sunday, but he was smiling for once so that was something. 

“Fun night?” you teased.

One corner of Dean’s mouth lifted in a grin and he stepped through the door when you moved. “Yeah. Sam texted about another case, so whenever you’re ready we can-”

The hunter stopped dead, his whole body tensing as his eyes fixed on the angel taking a cautious step backwards. 

“Dean, it’s fine- hey!” you yelped when Dean charged forward.

“You son of a bitch!” he growled and launched himself at the angel, sending them tumbling over the bed and onto the floor. Dean’s fists were a flurry of movement as he connected blow after blow to the angel’s body. 

“Dean, stop!” you cried, running forward and catching the hunter’s right arm, your fingers brushing a bumpy scar as you tried to pull him off. But Dean was too strong. He just ripped his arm out of your grasp, punching Gadreel hard in the jaw before pulling the angel to his feet and slamming him into the wall.

You redoubled your efforts to pull Dean off as he landed blow after blow to the taller man’s gut. “Get off him!” 

_Why the hell isn’t he fighting back?_ you thought, catching a glimpse of Gadreel’s bloody face and one hand held in the air. He was barely making an effort to defend himself, let alone go on the offensive.

“What’s the matter?” 

_Thud._

“…Did Metatron kick-” 

_Thud._

“…his broken guard dog-” 

_Thud._

"…to the curb?”

Gadreel only coughed after Dean’s tirade and spat blood onto the dark green carpet. His sweatshirt slipped off to one side as Dean pushed him against the wall again, revealing the angel blade tucked in his belt.

 

Dean saw the shiny metal the same time as you, but yanked it from Gadreel’s belt in the blink of an eye.

 

Gadreel’s eyes widened and he froze as he found himself with his own blade pressed against his throat.

 

“You know, this is something else,” Dean mused, cocking his head at the angel. 

“I hated having to let you go last time and now I’ve got another chance to waste your feathery ass.”

_Last time?_

“Dean, stop.” 

The eldest Winchester didn’t turn away as you edged forward cautiously, trying to diffuse the situation. 

“Look, I don’t know what happened before, but he saved my life.”

Now he did turn, an incredulous look adorning his features. “What?”

“Last night.” You looked at Gadreel once then fixed your eyes at Dean. “These vampires trapped me and I would’ve been dead if he hadn’t showed up. He ganked them all and healed me.” 

You laid your hand on Dean’s arm, gently this time. It felt electric under your fingers, warm and trembling with barely suppressed rage. “He protected me, Dean.” 

The corners of Dean’s mouth turned down in a scowl. “One right doesn’t fix all the wrongs,” he spat bitterly, not letting go of the angel’s shirt collar.

“Please,” you pleaded. Your heartbeat was too loud. The blood rushing through your head pounded like drums in your ears. 

Begging for the life of an angel you barely knew was not how you’d thought this meeting would go.

Dean let out a huff of breath through his nose and glared back at the angel. 

“Why’d you save her?” he demanded.

Gadreel blinked, not expecting the question. “Because…” he paused, feeling the blade scrape along his Adam’s apple. “Because she needed help,” he finished softly, not sure what more to add when even he did not know himself.

You held your breath and watched Dean’s jaw clench while he made his decision. 

A full thirty long seconds later, he dropped his right arm and let Gadreel go, taking a step back while the angel stumbled forward now that there was nothing to hold him against the wall. 

You caught his arm before he fell, not taking it away until he could stand on his own.

“Let’s get one thing clear, angel boy.” 

Gadreel raised his eyes to Dean’s carefully, still expecting the killing blow if he moved the wrong way. 

The hunter’s face was like thunder and his voice like stone with his hand still clenched tightly around the angel blade.

“I am _only_ letting you go because you saved her. If I ever see you again… I will kill you.”


End file.
